“Maybe, maybe not. We came very close to getting caught there. Every second you bought with the life support systems mattered,” Jaren replied. He wondered though. At the end of the day it had come down to a standoff, a quick draw. The only thing that mattered in the end was being faster to pull the trigger. Fortunately for them both, he’d been faster. They’d both gotten away with their lives. The same, he imagined, could not be said of the crew. He knew the Ministry’s methods.
He didn’t mention that to Astra.
“And now we have all the seconds in the galaxy,” he added with a smirk, eyes settling on the sand shrouded orb in the viewport. “We’ll be in the Core Worlds before you know it. You ever been there? You’ll love it. It’s nice. It’s real nice.”
Deklen Ordo set his helmet down on the
Black Mantid’s console. He watched the
Arkanis Sailer burn in the distance from the gunship’s bridge. The
Mantid’s heavy laser cannons and missile pods had made short work of the freighter, overwhelming the underpowered shielding and punching through the hull. The
Sailer had erupted into plumes of fire as escaping oxygen became flames for a brief moment before being snuffed out by the vacuum of space. Those left on board had died screaming.
It was violent and beautiful.
A message came through on the command console, a request for a video conference. He accepted the request with the touch of the screen, and a Chiss dressed in Imperial officer garb appeared across the bridge’s viewport, blocking out the
Sailer’s death throes. The Imperial soldiers on the bridge saluted. The mercenaries, and Ordo, did not, though the Mandalorian had the decency to straighten out his posture before connecting to the communication.
“Cipher 10. We intercepted the transport per your orders, but Commander Jast has eluded capture. We expect he will be making planetfall on Tatooine in an escape pod within a few hours,” Ordo greeted his commanding officer with a recap of the report he had submitted after returning to the
Mantid. Cipher 10’s face was impassive, unreadable. Ordo had never seen him convey emotion. The agent could be a droid, for all he knew. “Jast is proving to be a difficult quarry.”
“Jast is indeed a difficult quarry, Captain Ordo, which is precisely why I assigned you to bring him in.” Cipher 10’s mannerisms were exacting, precise. His words had all the carefully selected inflections and enunciation of a sniper shot. “I expected success. I am disappointed with your performance. What of the freighter?”
“Destroyed. I was just watching it burn as you called.” Cipher 10’s mouth was a tight line as he processed this information.
“Did it launch any escape pods?” Ordo’s commander asked. Ordo winced. He knew where this was going.
“A few. We caught most of them before they could get away, but some will make it to the planet.” Cipher 10 was more than displeased with this outcome, he already knew.
“And do you expect that this will muddle your search for the particular escape pod containing Commander Jast and the information in his possession?” Cipher 10 continued, just as Ordo expected. “Don’t answer. Obviously, it will. I am curious what possessed you to think that this was the best method of accomplishing your objective.”
“Cipher, with all due respect, I didn’t have the manpower to make a floor-by-floor sweep-and-exterminate practicable in the time we had to conduct this operation. I gave this order because I believed it was the most efficient way to comply with the mandate to eliminate any witnesses to the action,” Ordo answered easily. Cipher 10 was, indeed, clearly displeased with him, but the Mandalorian was not particularly bothered by his disapproval. He was confident in the call.
“Do not hide behind my orders. In the event of a change in circumstance of this sort you are to call in to receive guidance,” Cipher 10 chastised, his voice particularly hard and cold. “It seems that you still have yet to learn that your bloodlust makes you reckless and shortsighted, and it now requires me to furnish you with additional support.” Ordo’s ears perked up at this proposition in spite of the berating that preceded it. “You are too far removed to provide you with Imperial assistance, but the Ministry has assets available near enough to your coordinates to respond. I am activating Captain Vaskess, one of our contacts based in the sector. He and his crew will assist you in the search for Commander Jast. I do not enjoy repeating myself, but allow me to make your orders very clear. You are to bring him in alive.”
“I understand my orders, Cipher. What about his accomplice? The woman I mentioned in the report?”
“I sense an opportunity to save the Imperial taxpayers some money. Vaskess is a Trandoshan, a pirate and a slaver. See if you can’t negotiate for a reduced fee in exchange for the girl. I am sure he will be amenable to the offer.”
“Yes, Cipher,” Ordo answered, and the holovid blinked out of existence, leaving the bounty hunter to gaze upon the burning freighter once more. He rested his hand on the blaster at his side, palming the grip as his eyes turned toward the planet in the distance.
A star fell from a clear sky.
It struck a plateau at a low angle and carved its way through sandy dirt, leaving an ugly scar upon the earth as it traveled. It collided with a four-meter tower, a moisture trap, and left it demolished in its wake. Friction, amplified by the rough ridges and slopes of the earth, slowed it down further and further.
At long last, the escape pod came to a grinding halt on the surface of Tatooine.
To be continued.
